"One of the most incredible stories I’ve seen in my 45 years as a promoter," declared Frank Warren.
The news that Oleksandr Usyk had vacated his WBO title was swiftly followed by confirmation that Fabio Wardley was now a world champion.
The 30-year-old's win over Joseph Parker last month was one that has ultimately made him the sixth British fighter to hold the WBO heavyweight title.
It has been a remarkable rise for Wardley, who only took up boxing ten years ago and did not have a single amateur fight.
His promoter Warren has promised "some huge fights" in 2026, even if the planned undisputed showdown with Usyk has now been shelved.
Itauma would become the mandatory contender for Wardley by beating Jermaine Franklin
According to WBO president Gustavo Olivieri, Wardley could soon find himself having to fight fellow Briton Moses Itauma.
The 20-year-old is fighting Jermaine Franklin on January 24 and victory in that fight would leave him in pole position to secure a swift shot at a world title.
“Itauma would become the mandatory contender for Wardley by beating Jermaine Franklin,” Olivieri told The Ring. “Beating Franklin, who's a top contender, would put him in a strong position.”
However, there are some obvious complications to that fight being made. Both are promoted by Warren, who would likely be keen to keep two of his big heavyweight names apart for as long as possible.
With uncertainty over Usyk's future, there is the realistic possibility of the belts becoming further fragmented and Warren will be eyeing a potential unification bout between his heavyweights at a later date.
Even more significantly, Itauma and Wardley are both trained by Ben Davison.
Itauma is therefore more likely to go down the WBA route, where he is mandatory for the regular belt held by Kubrat Pulev.
Should Itauma pass up on his WBO position, Wardley could instead be ordered to fight Filip Hrgovic or Zhilei Zhang, who are ranked second and third respectively by the sanctioning body.
Hrgovic was beaten by Daniel Dubois last year but has rebuilt with wins over Joe Joyce and David Adeleye, and he currently appears the most probable option for Wardley as a first defence.
That would be a tougher test than Zhang, who is now 42 and was stopped by Agit Kabayel in February.
Dubois and Lawrence Okolie are also in the top five of the WBO rankings and would offer opportunities for an all-British clash.
However, Dubois is expected to fight Frank Sanchez in an IBF final eliminator bout which would see the winner get a shot at Usyk.
A voluntary defence against Anthony Joshua would be another option for Wardley, though that does not appear to be on Joshua's radar at the moment.
He is fighting Jake Paul next month and there are plans for a long-awaited bout with Tyson Fury in 2026.
Wardley is enjoying some time off after the win over Parker before the focus turns to mapping out his path as a world champion.
The prospect of bringing his title to Ipswich for a stadium fight at Portman Road will be an appealing one, potentially in the spring next year.
Showdowns with Itauma and Dubois would draw significant interest, particularly domestically, but those will surely wait until further down the line.
